Editing Estate agent (section)

==Origin==
The term originally referred to a person responsible for managing a landed estate, while those engaged in the buying and selling of homes were "''House Agents''", and those selling land were "Land Agents". However, in the 20th century, "''Estate Agent''" started to be used as a generic term. An estate agent is roughly synonymous with the [[United States]] term [[real estate broker]].

Estate agents need to be familiar with their local area, including factors that could increase or decrease property prices. e.g. if a new road or airport is to be built this can blight houses nearby. Equally, the closing of a quarry or improvement of an area can enhance prices. In advising clients on an asking price, the agent must be aware of recent sale prices (or rental values) for comparable properties.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}